What're you drinking right now?

[beerstodiscover]

Radical Road Yuzu Pale Ale - Finally saw some fresh cans. This is my first encounter with yuzu fruit and I'm a fan. Nice unique citrusy flavour and lively nose I thought it was a hop variety before reading the can.

Nickel Brook Wet Hop Ale - Rounding out the annual traditon this was a good drink. But I put it in third place behind Amsterdam and Collongwood's offerings this fall.

[darmokandjalad]

Continuing my way through a month and a half-long backlog:

-Little Known Brewing Je Ne Sais Quoi - LCBO tallboy (4.2%). Not sure if this is basically a Flying Monkeys pseudonym brand or just being contract brewed there. Pours not-quite-clear gold with a prodigiously long-lasted head; smells of citrus, fruit and pine, with the flavour angling in the same direction. Crisp, light and refreshing; I liked this more than Genius of Suburbia, which is the closest brew of theirs to this that comes to mind.
-Kona Big Wave Golden Ale - From a TBS sixer, BBD May '18. Quite clean, lightly sweet pale malt flavour with subtle hints of tropical and stone fruits. A solid golden/blonde session-type ale, though it might seem mundane compared to most of the other American stuff shipped into ON these days.
-Big Rig Alpha Bomb Unfiltered IPA - LCBO tallboy (6.6%). Brassy gold with a gorgeous white head that lasts on. Very resiny and bitter towards the finish. An alright effort, but with Karma Citra (among others) now on shelves there is no real chance of me selecting this IPA repeatedly within the near future.
-Innis & Gunn Session IPA - LCBO tallboy (4.6%). Bright, clear yellow with brilliant effervescence and a great head. Better malt backing than this sub-style tends towards; bready and doughy, with citrusy hops and lightly leafy/floral notes and a slightly bitter, resiny finish. I liked it well enough.
-Descendants El Buscador Light Beer - LCBO tallboy (4%). Neat label. Kind of has a Mexican lager thing going on; more flavourful than Corona, and not nearly as bland and corny as mass-produced stuff like Brava (or [insert trademark] Light/Lite beers). I rarely drink light beer on purpose but this was a tolerable one.
-Stewart Brewing First World Problems Belgian IPA - LCBO bottle (6.2%). The malt combo was interesting, with rye, oats, wheat and of course barley all thrown in the mix. They're countered with hop-derived notes of grapefruit, orange and a touch of melon, as well as by an earthy finish with hints of floral, grassy hops. It's good, but not great, and not much like most of the other BIPAs I've had either.
-Bobcaygeon Dockside Red Ale - LCBO tallboy (5%). This is a straightforward, unassuming beer, but it pours gorgeously and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would when I paid for it (I didn't much care for Common Loon). Lightly toasted malts give it a slightly nutty, bready flavour to complement its toffee sweetness. The malts marginally overpower the pine resin and herbal bitterness towards the finish, but not by much. I don't buy a lot of ambers these days, but this is one I could drink in multiples without complaint.
-Amsterdam Spotted Cow Fieldberry Wheat - LCBO tallboy (5%). More of a spinoff of their Spotted Cow Wit (Oranje Weisse) than a variant, because I don't think there is coriander in this. The raspberry is most noticeable, with the blue and blackberries in secondary roles. Surprisingly dry finish, which aids its drinkability. If you like berry beers, this is probably worth trying.
-Black Creek Canada 150 Best Bitter Ale - LCBO tallboy (5%). I am a sucker for a good bitter. When I am in the mood for an ESB, I usually reach for Fuller's ESB or Wells Bombardier. But this is a fine domestic, presumably temporary, substitute that I approve of and have already returned to.

[cratez]

Over the weekend in Creemore and Collingwood:
Creemore Springs Altbier (sample)
Creemore Springs Mad & Noisy Mango Pale Ale (sample)
Creemore Springs Oktoberfest (sample)
Northwinds Lost Cabin Viena Lager (flight sample)
Northwinds Three Stage XPA (flight sample)
Northwinds Nosey Parker (flight sample)
Northwinds Rainmaker IPA (flight sample)

Over the week at home:
Collective Arts Sour Harvest Saison
Nickel Brook Ontario Wet Hop Pale Ale
Flying Monkeys Paranormal Imperial Pumpkin Ale

[Bobsy]

-Black Creek Canada 150 Best Bitter Ale - LCBO tallboy (5%). I am a sucker for a good bitter. When I am in the mood for an ESB, I usually reach for Fuller's ESB or Wells Bombardier. But this is a fine domestic, presumably temporary, substitute that I approve of and have already returned to.

I'm a sucker for a good bitter too! My go-to options are a couple of local ESBs - Collingwood's King Post and Nickelbrook's Equilibrium. They're always in stock at my local grocery store, and manage to somehow find their way into the cart on a regular basis.

[sofakingdrunk]

-Black Creek Canada 150 Best Bitter Ale - LCBO tallboy (5%). I am a sucker for a good bitter. When I am in the mood for an ESB, I usually reach for Fuller's ESB or Wells Bombardier. But this is a fine domestic, presumably temporary, substitute that I approve of and have already returned to.

I'm a sucker for a good bitter too! My go-to options are a couple of local ESBs - Collingwood's King Post and Nickelbrook's Equilibrium. They're always in stock at my local grocery store, and manage to somehow find their way into the cart on a regular basis.

Count me too, as one the loves a good esb. Fillers is my go-to but none of the lcbos in town stock it. I've been drinking my body weight in Equilibrium the last couple months. Much like Bobsy, the grocery store around the corner from my house always had lots of it. Lancaster bomber is a decent fall-back at a good price. I enjoy hobgoblin but think it's a bit overpriced. The colingwood one is quite decent as well.

[S. St. Jeb]

Collingwood's King Post

Did this used to be known as Fireside ESB?

[Napalm Frog]

Collingwood's King Post

Did this used to be known as Fireside ESB?

Yup. Re-branded due to a complaint from some winery.

[seangm]

Collingwood's King Post

Did this used to be known as Fireside ESB?

Yup. Re-branded due to a complaint from some winery.

Right, because there's a big risk that someone will confuse an ESB with wine. Seems a bit excessive.

[beerstodiscover]

Yup. Re-branded due to a complaint from some winery.

Sounds more like a whinery to me.

[cratez]

I'm a sucker for a good bitter too! My go-to options are a couple of local ESBs - Collingwood's King Post and Nickelbrook's Equilibrium. They're always in stock at my local grocery store, and manage to somehow find their way into the cart on a regular basis.

Thanks for the recos. For some reason I get cravings for good bitters/ESBs around this time of year (something about the cooler weather) but tend to assume worthy examples can only be found on tap/cask from the likes of Granite, Wellington, Fuller's, etc. Never had the King Post before and have only tried the Equilibrium on draft so I'll give these two a shot. Cheers!

[Belgian]

Yup. Re-branded due to a complaint from some winery.

Sounds more like a whinery to me.

Even the venerable Pomerol, Bordeaux winery Chateau Pétrus was cooler than that with the brewery of the same name. They met the brewers & saw there was little possibility to confuse the two products & everyone peacefully got on with their lives.

Call it European cultural maturity.

[portwood]

...Chateau Pétrus was cooler than that with the brewery of the same name. They met the brewers & saw there was little possibility to confuse the two products ...

Last Christmas I bought a very colorful bottle of that Petrus for under 20 bucks while a bunch of suckers were paying over $3000.
It was such a great bargain I figured the LCBO made a mistake with the pricing ...

[Belgian]

Last Christmas I bought a very colorful bottle of that Petrus for under 20 bucks while a bunch of suckers were paying over $3000.
It was such a great bargain I figured the LCBO made a mistake with the pricing ...

If you don't tell people which Petrus it is they will think it really tastes like $5.00 per milliliter.

[BartOwl]

This week I have tried the following;
Nickelbrook Wet Hop Pale Ale - maybe it's the hop bombs I've been drinking lately, but this year's batch seems to be more subtle than before. Still, it is a nice flavour of Ontario hops. Last year, I remember buying too much of this beer, and it went bad (flavourless) fast. This year, it is nice to have it fresh.
Bellwoods Passion Fruit Milkshark - this is my first Milkshark beer -- Wow! It is so strong in flavour yet complex and well balanced. Back when Bellwoods was starting to make Witchshark and Hellwoods, I thought they made some good beer, but were slightly overrated. Now, after trying Milkshark, Runes, Goblin Sauce, Jelly King, and others, I think this brewery is amazing.

[seangm]

I'm a sucker for a good bitter too! My go-to options are a couple of local ESBs - Collingwood's King Post and Nickelbrook's Equilibrium. They're always in stock at my local grocery store, and manage to somehow find their way into the cart on a regular basis.

Thanks for the recos. For some reason I get cravings for good bitters/ESBs around this time of year (something about the cooler weather) but tend to assume worthy examples can only be found on tap/cask from the likes of Granite, Wellington, Fuller's, etc. Never had the King Post before and have only tried the Equilibrium on draft so I'll give these two a shot. Cheers!

Chiming in as another ESB fan, I really enjoyed St. Mary Axe Canadian Best Bitter if you happen to come across any.